The Ford F-150 SVT Lightning was introduced in 1993 and it competed directly against the Chevrolet Silverado 454SS – which was introduced in 1990. The 1993 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning was powered by a 240 horsepower 5.8-liter (OHV Windsor V8) that made 340 lbs-feet of torque. It was paired to a beefy four-speed automatic transmission that was used in the F-350.
Ford beefed up the Ford F-150 SVT Lightning’s suspension, frame and spinning components for better street performance. This allowed the Ford F-150 SVT Lightning to match the performance of the Ford Mustang GT.
Ford built 11,000 between 1993 and 1995.
The Lightning made a return a few years later as a much more powerful and capable vehicle. Ford finally pulled the plug on the Lightning in 2004. The 2004 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning was a beast with a 380 hp supercharged 5.4-liter V8 that made 450 lb-ft of torque – it was capable of a 5.8-second 0 to 60 mph time. That’s impressive even by today’s standards.
By now, you may be asking about our title, mentioning if lightning will strike more than twice – right?
Recently, Ford announced that their beefy 450 hp EcoBoost twin-turbocharged V6 that makes 510 lb-ft of torque will now be available in the 2019 Ford F-150 Limited. You can read the whole story (here). That is a LOT of power for any truck.
The TFLtruck staff had a moment to consider the ramifications of so much power. While Ford did make a half hearted attempt at building a sport-truck with the Ford F-150 Tremor, it was a bit of a letdown. It was quick with a 4:10 rear-end, but it wasn’t the monster many enthusiasts were hoping for.
What if they upped their game and we got an F-150 from the Raptor engine in a package like the Ford Tremor? Add to that updated suspension, frame, breaks and rubber – you would have a modern factory-built Ford SVT F-150 Lightning – right? They are so close to it already, it’s not that much of a stretch – right?
What do you guys think? Do we need a modern interpretation of a sport truck? Let us know!
